Execs break their own rules when it comes to mobile policy

Execs break their own rules when it comes to mobile policy

As awareness of the security risks around corporate mobile devices grow, the number of Canadian companies employing mobile device management (MDM) tools has jumped. However, a recent survey indicates that the leading violators of mobile security policies are company executives.

In an online survey of 500 information security professionals from all industry sectors across Canada, Telus Corp. found that 45 per cent of the respondents are willing to invest in MDM products. Revenue growth in the space, according to Telus, actually jumped from 13 per cent in 2010 to 24 per cent in this year.

The telecom company also found that flouting company mobile security rules appears to more prevalent at the top of the corporate ladder.

Top violators according to the survey are:

Executives – 22 per cent

Managers – 15 per cent

Administrators – 15 per cent

Sales – 15 per cent

IT – 12 per cent

Contractors – 10 per cent

Operations and manufacturing – 6 per cent

Marketing – 5 per cent

Executives are most likely to bring personal mobile devices into the company network, said Hernan Barros, director of product and services as Telus Security. He attributed the breach of security policies by execs partly to their need to boost their productivity.

“Top level employees say they need the latest tools such as iPads, or more powerful smartphones to enable productivity and efficiency gain,” said Barros.

BlackBerry seen as most secure smartphone

When asked which mobile technology platform they felt was most secure, an overwhelming 85 per cent of the respondents named BlackBerry smartphones.

The iPhone and Windows Mobile devices lagged far behind at 10 per cent. Android phones brought up the rear at five per cent.